As a native New Yorker, I understand how fast paced lifestyles can get in the way of eating healthy nutritious meals. Between traveling to and from work, picking up kids from school and running errands, preparing well-balanced meals is time consuming, and we have everything but time. Under those circumstances, we start fantasizing about fast food due to how fast its prepared and how convenient and available it is, but we don’t want to sabotage our weight loss/muscle gain goals, what she we do in this case? Luckily, with supplement and food companies being forced to think outside the box due to increasing competition and saturated markets, new food product ideas emerge almost every day, especially healthy snacks. It is safe to say that the grab and go snacks market is much better than it was a decade ago thanks to increasing demand and a healthy lifestyle becoming mainstream. You might be traveling or planning a road trip and still want to eat healthy. In this case, salute to you my friend and I wrote this list of delicious grab and go snacks just for you to keep you on track, help you achieve your goals, improve your health and stay away from junk food.
10- Sabra Grab & Go Hummus Cups
Quite frankly, Sabra hit the nail on the head with their grab and go hummus cups. Hummus is delicious and healthy. Additionally, the ingredients of Sabra grab & go hummus’ cup are very clean. Why did these delicious cups make this list? Because:
- They’re delicious.
- A hummus cup (classic flavor) has only 120 calories!
- Who doesn’t like pretzels and hummus?
- Convenient.
- No bad ingredients. (Soybean oil is a bit debatable, though)
- They’re cheap.
- They come in many different flavors to fit every taste.
- Available in almost all supermarkets.
- Hummus is rich in phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, folate and healthy fatty acids to support optimal hormonal function (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated).
- They have zero cholesterol.
These hummus grab & go cups are available everywhere and cost about 2-3 dollars per cup. The price decreases when you buy a whole pack obviously.
9- Quest Nutrition Cereal Bars
Cereal or corn flakes are part of the American culture, no questions asked. Some like their cereal raw and some like it with milk, but if I can guarantee one thing it would be that both cereal fans will fall in love with Quest Nutrition’s cereal bars! These bars are dewy, healthy and very flavorful.
- If you have ever wanted to eat cereal on the go, this is your chance.
- Have only 110 calories per bar!
- Come in 5 different delicious flavors; chocolate peanut butter, waffle, strawberry, chocolate, cinnamon roll, and chocolate.
- Cheap and wide spread.
- Only 4.5 grams of fat coming from a healthy source (palm kernel oil).
- Has 7 grams of fiber per bar! That’s almost a quarter of your recommended daily dietary fiber intake.
- Only 2 grams of net carbohydrates for those of you who are on a low carb diet or simply just hate carbohydrates.
- Gluten free for people with gluten intolerance.
I have personally tried 3 flavors out of the 5 flavors which were; chocolate, waffles, and cinnamon roll. I must say the flavors were accurately as described and this product definitely delivers. I can literally eat a box of these bars in 10 minutes!
8- Quest Nutrition Protein Chips
Okay, I am not a secret representative of Quest Nutrition, I promise! In fact, I wasn’t very fond of the company up until a few months ago when they finally decided to focus on quality once again and come up with new healthy and delicious snacks. Quest Nutrition knew that everyone likes potato chips, but not everyone could have them for different health and fitness related reasons. So, they decided to add their own twist on potato chips and create high protein potato chips that are convenient, delicious and healthy. Here are the reasons these chips made the list:
- They come in 5 different flavors; BBQ, Salt & Vinegar, Cheddar cheese & sour cream, Sour cream & Onions, and Sea Salt.
- Only 130 calories per bag.
- Only 4 grams of fat coming from high oleic sunflower oil which is high in Medium Chain Triglycerides that help your body burn fat.
- Each bag has only 4 grams of carbohydrates out of which 1 gram is fiber.
- 21 grams of protein per bag!
- Soy & Gluten free.
- Baked potato chips, not fried.
- Each bag provides 20% of an individual’s recommended daily intake of phosphorous and calcium.
I believe I tried only 3 flavors, I am not sure. The flavors I tried were BBQ, salt and vinegar and sea salt. BBQ was my personal favorite. The chips are crunchy, oil free and guaranteed to taste like the claimed flavor. Depending on where you are buying these chips, a bag will usually cost 2-3 dollars. Not bad for a quick high protein snack.
7- Chobani Greek yogurt cups
Greek yogurt, need I say more? Greek yogurt is known to be one of the most nutritious foods you can put in your pie hole. While I am not sure you will want to eat a pint of Greek yogurt, I’m sure you will enjoy each cup of Chobani’s Greek yogurt on the go cups.
- Available in 17 different flavors! That’s a lot of exploring to do.
- Available in full fat, reduced fat, and fat-free version to suit every goal and need.
- Available in plain and with fruit pieces’ versions.
- While the number of calories varies slightly from flavor to flavor, the median caloric content is 130 calories per cup.
- No preservatives, artificial sweeteners or fillers.
- Made of milk coming from hormone-untreated cows.
- Contains 5 different active strains of probiotics to improve your digestive system’s function.
- Rich in calcium.
- High protein content = 12 grams of protein per cup.
You have probably either tried one of these Greek yogurt cups or similar ones, but Chobani’s on the go cups make a perfect and healthy snack for those trying to get an adequate amount of protein without eating too many calories.
6- RX Bars
Not very long ago, I was lucky enough to receive a free box of RX bars to try out. I am honestly honored to have been one of the first few people to try these high protein and EXTREMELY healthy bars, and boy did the company deliver! Let’s see why I chose these bad boys to be on the list:
- 200 calories per bar.
- Transparent label that tells you exactly what’s in each bar.
- Dairy, gluten, and soy free.
- 9 delicious flavors.
- 12 grams of protein per bar.
- Made only from real healthy raw ingredients such as fruits, nuts and dates.
- 4 grams of fiber per bar.
- 9 grams of fat per bar. Fat source is nuts, which is very healthy.
- Vegan friendly.
If you have a problem with protein bars for containing dairy because you are vegan or simply lactose intolerant, RX bars offer the most delicious alternative you can get your hands on. These bars broke the market although they haven’t been out for a long time. RX bars are made from high quality real food, cheap and will fill you up.
5- Skinny Pop Popcorn
If you have been reading this blog, you probably know that I love popcorn, period. Air popped popcorn makes a great satiating, healthy and convenient snack that is sure to compliment a nice movie or road trip.
- Cholesterol free.
- Only 39 calories per cup! That’s a lot of popcorn.
- Available everywhere across the nation.
- Convenient.
- Delicious and satiating.
- Zero trans-fat. This type of fat is what causes heart and cholesterol problems.
- Peanuts, soy, gluten, dairy and preservative free.
- No artificial ingredients.
- Air popped, not oil popped.
- Non-GMO.
- 3 grams of fiber.
Skinny pop popcorn is available in all supermarkets and usually costs 3-5 dollars per bag and the bag is quite large. With only 39 calories per cup, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein and 10 grams of healthy fats per serving, I don’t think you can beat this deal. Make sure you don’t buy the other flavors such as cheddar and butter flavors because they will have more calories and higher fat content. If that’s fine by you, be my guest. Enjoy!
4- Nakd protein bars
Protein bars are all the rage now. In my modest opinion, I think protein bars will soon replace ready-to-drink protein shakes in terms of sales and popularity due to being delicious, healthier and more flavorful. Nakd protein bars have been around for some time and they’re very popular. Though originally from the United Kingdom, it didn’t take long for Nakd bars to flood the U.S. markets.
- Available in 13 different unique flavors.
- Only 145 calories per bar.
- Transparent label that lists exact ingredients of bars.
- Gluten, dairy and wheat free.
- No artificial sweeteners or preservatives.
- Vegan friendly.
- Kosher.
- Made only from real ingredients; dates, nuts, fruits and cocoa.
These little wonder bars will make you drool like a kid in a candy store. Each bar has about 4 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of saturated fats which comes directly from nuts (healthy). While Nakd bars are not as wide spread as other protein bars, I would suggest you get your hands on some if you can, you won’t regret it.
3- Best Bar Ever
I know I have mentioned these in my high fiber snacks post but these bars are so good they deserve a second mention. In case you don’t know why I am a big fan of these bars, let me explain:
- Available in 5 different lovely flavors. You won’t get enough of any of the flavors.
- Depending on flavor, average caloric content is between 240 to 300 calories but it’s worth it.
- Filling.
- High in fiber (about 8 grams of fiber per bar).
- Made only from real ingredients such as: coconut chips, dark chocolate, cranberries, cinnamon, apple slices, oats, honey and many others.
- No artificial sweeteners or preservatives.
- Fresh! These bars are baked to order. This mean when a store places an order of best bars ever bars, the company bakes them fresh, wraps them and send them out! You just can’t beat such high quality.
- Transparent labels that lists every single ingredient.
I’m sure if you try any of these bars you will get addicted. With such high quality, amazing taste and perfect macro ratios, I don’t think any bar will beat best bar ever bars. Each bar also has about 15 grams of fat that comes from high quality sources such as coconut oil. When you unwrap any of these bars, you will see particles of the ingredients that were used to baked them!
2- Subway Turkey Breast Salad
If you don’t want to eat protein bars, cereal bars or protein chips and prefer to eat a real meal, Subway’s turkey breast salad is your best bet. Subway is by far the healthiest fast food restaurant chain in the world. Not only do they make delicious meals but they also make them from fresh healthy ingredients right in front of you.
- Made from fresh vegetables which makes this a very nutritious meal that supplies many essential vitamins and minerals.
- High in fiber – 6 grams per salad.
- 9 grams of net carbohydrates for anti-carb fans.
- 130 calories per salad!
- Very satiating due to its high fiber content and volume.
- Delicious.
- Only 2.5 grams of fat.
- 14 grams of protein.
Luckily, Subway chain restaurants are everywhere which makes getting this salad or any of their meals very convenient and affordable. The average price of Subway’s turkey breast salad will be about 6 dollars or so. This salad is sure to satisfy your taste buds and curb your hunger.
1- Fruit Salads
If you are craving something sweet, nothing will satisfy your sweet tooth better than a healthy dish of fruits. Fruits are healthy and satiating. If you want one hell of a delicious meal that is sure to keep you full, have a Subway turkey breast salad and follow that up with a nice plate of sliced fruits! Yummy.
- Pre-cut fruit salads are literally in every supermarket. If you can’t get your hands on a plate of fruits, you must be doing something wrong. Thus, fruit salads are very convenient.
- Affordable. Average price of a fruit salad is 4-6 dollars.
- While this majorly depends on what and how much fruits are in the salad, I can’t imagine a fruit salad exceeding 250 calories! And that is a lot of fruits, trust me.
- Good source of many essential minerals vitamins and antioxidants.
- High in fiber.
- Voluminous.
- Delightful.
Instead of eating a candy or chocolate bar will most likely have tons of calories and sugar, just buy a fruit salad from any close supermarket or deli and be happy that you are eating a delicious meal that will keep you full and improve your health and body composition.
Conclusion
Eating healthy and having fun don’t have to be enemies. In fact, eating healthy could be fun when planned our correctly. Whether you don’t have the time to cook delicious nutritious meals, traveling or going on a road trip with your friends, these 10-healthy grab and go snacks are sure to help you stay on track in terms of achieving your aesthetic and performance goals, improve your health and won’t break the bank. Enjoy!
If you liked these grab and go snacks and want some more, drop a comment in the comments section below and make sure you share this list with your pals. Stay healthy, my friends!
